Orange Loses In Extra Innings Thriller

Saturday, February 23

Greenville, N.C.

10 a.m.

Syracuse University

Appalachian State (Pirate Classic)

Rachel Tilford went 2-for-4 with two RBI against East Carolina.

3/1/2008 1:16:30 PM | Softball

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Syracuse softball team lost both its games, including an eighth-inning thriller against East Carolina, 4-3, on Saturday at the Pirate Classic. Syracuse lost its first game, 7-2, against Appalachian State. Senior outfielders Chanel Roehner and Rachel Tilford each accumulated three hits during the day and freshman pitcher Angie Sagnelli pitched her first career complete game by going eight innings against ECU.

"I told the team at the end that I'm still not happy because we didn't win, but we did make some progress," said head coach Leigh Ross. "We started to piece hits together and score a few runs. Even though we could have played cleaner, we saw what this team is capable of doing."

The Orange (0-6) trailed 1-0 after the first inning, but responded in the second when junior utility player Jorden Rosen doubled to left-center to score Roehner, who led off with a single.

Roehner scored again in the sixth inning after ECU took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second. In the sixth, the senior doubled and advanced freshman Rachel Helman to third. Tilford singled up the middle on the next at-bat to score the two runners and pull the score even, 3-3.

The remainder of regulation went scoreless and the game went into extra innings with international rules being enforced. Both teams began their at-bats with a runner on second base and ECU escaped without letting up a run despite a deep fly out by Tilford.

In the bottom of the inning, the Pirate (10-2) were able to take third base on a wild pitch, but Sagnelli got two outs immediately after, including striking out ECU senior Angel Barrella.

Playing the odds, Syracuse elected to intentionally walk ECU's three-hitter junior Jessica Johnson, but a pass ball on ball four scored Barrella from third.

Sagnelli finished the game with one strikeout and only allowing two earned runs. East Carolina pitcher freshman Britt Howell pitched 5.2 innings and allowed three earned runs. Junior Brooke Swann pitched 2.1 innings and was credited with the victory.

During game one and after a 30-plus minute rain delay, the Orange rallied in the sixth and seventh innings but couldn't make up the difference as it lost to Appalachian State, 7-2.

"We had a little talk during the rain delay and came back on the field with a little more energy," Ross said. "We made some mistakes during the first five innings, but in the final two we put a little more on the field."

Junior catcher Amy Kelley hit a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh to score junior second baseman Lindsay Wasek and freshman third baseman Hallie Gibbs.

Kelley also singled in the sixth inning to start a rally, which included a single by junior first baseman Nicole Miller. Rosen walked and loaded the bases, but the Orange's momentum was halted when Kelley was out at home and junior shortstop Jamie Kelling grounded out.

Wasek and Gibbs led off the seventh with a pair of singles before Kelley put a stamp on her first multi-hit and multi-RBI game of the season. Gibbs enjoyed her first career multi-hit game.

Miller also had two hits and now has a team-best two multi-hit games this year.

Roehner was given the start and pitched 5.0 innings, striking out three and giving up three earned runs. Sophomore Brittany Gardner came in in the sixth and stuck out three batters and didn't allow a run.

The Pirate Classic concludes on Sunday, Feb. 24 and the Orange will face Purdue at 9 a.m. and Penn State at 11 a.m.